Ricardo Diaz: Kokoro restaurant offers tasty Japanese fare

6:54 PM,
Aug. 21, 2013

Written by

Ricardo Diaz

I settle into a booth at Kokoro Japanese restaurant on West Gabilan Street in Salinas. It is nice and clean, with hard lines and avocado hues. I meet manager KJ as he comes out from behind the sushi bar to say hello. He is sporting a red bandana on his head to hold back that stylishly light brown hair. He has a rockabilly look, as this place embraces the hipster vibe and brings you your sushi, with a little bit of rock and roll.

I start my meal with a familiar idea executed in an unfamiliar way. Once he heads back to the sushi bar, some jalapeño bombs are brought over to our table. These are not the run of the ...